New Dapoppins Stickers

Sold out

Your response has been incredible and this batch is totally sold out. Oh Wow. I am seriously touched and humbled. It was just a trial run and not a very big batch, but wow. In one day all the stickers I had were sold out. You guys rock. I have ordered more but they wont be available for another two weeks.

I am exploring new ways to share my art with you. It's not like peeps are knocking down my door to break into my art space, demanding my little baldies and bunnies and umbrella themed stuff of course. At least not yet! But I have had requests for illustrated books, cards, and prints and I'd like to be able to get that into your hands. A Redbubble or Zazzle (or both) store opening is on the horizon. If I can make a little money to support the art habit obsession, that would be make everybody in my home happy too. They have this weird impression that I'd rather buy paint than dinner. They might not be wrong.

This little sale gave me a chance to see who might be interested in my stickers, what the costs are to send them, how to handle the taxes, fees, and other important stuff. I've already found some expenses that didn't even occur to me and realized I forgot to factor in my time as part of the sicker price. I learned a lot, because I learn by doing, not by reading and researching. Now I have a better idea how to go forward. Also, these great little stickers were printed out of house by Moo.com, who I love, (I've even ordered more,) but their options are quite limited. Going forward, I'll be looking for flat, slightly textured papers so that the stickers can be altered as needed for your art journals. Thanks again for all the love and encouragement you showed me, for those who kindly let me know about my typos (which will be a constant theme going forward, I predict) and for showing your love by willing to buy my stuff. Watch this space for more stickers and stuff to come! - Dapoppins

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In September I set aside 10 days to stay home and art. After working extra shifts at my job while other's went on vacation to travel across the country or take a cruise, I took some time off to just stay home and play in my newly organized art space. And now my staycation is over. In fact I began this this blog post using my phone while on break at work. I need staycation closure. I gotta put the period on this thing.

I managed to accomplish a few things:

I held a journal giveway on my youtube channel. And I'm now (fianlly) past the 500 subscribers mark. Thanks everyone!

I live vlogged and opened a box from Canvas Corp Brands.

I shared the progress on my new Joy book. I thought I would sell this one.

The last book I made was the same concept, but different format. You can see it HERE.

I made homemade apple pie with my daughter.

I finished illustrating my first book.

What I didn't finish:

There are a few things I didn’t finish that I’m going to be in a frenzy to work on in my off hours the next couple of weeks. I have two paintings that I have been dragging my feet on, waiting for inspiration and a sudden flood of talent to create work that I'm satisfied with. I have some other projects that I've started and only half finished, such as a new rustic nature book. It's just sitting on the shelf calling my name. I had time to complete them over my ten days at home, but unfortunately I let that time slip away doing less important tasks.

What I should have done:

•Make a daily list and stick to it.

•Check the list at the end of the day to prepare for the next day.

I’m a terrible self manager. I had a couple of very productive days but I have a feeling I would have had more if I had required myself to be more organized and more prepared by sticking to some lists and a little restrained bullet journaling.

•Make a plan.

• Factor in rewards.

•Factor in social time.

•Force myself to follow the plan.

I don’t like structure. But as I learned by not making written out lists and only following a loose one in my head, structure would help me, not hinder me. I had lots of things I wanted to do for my Staycation, but because I didn’t plan my time, I barely got half of those things done.

Factoring in rewards, such as nap time or Netflix time ( I watched every season of Britain’s Best Baker) and putting a time limit on those rewards, might just help me accomplish more.

I did not do any in-person social activities on my Staycation which I should have forced myself to do at least twice. I love staying home, but weirdly, too much at home can work against me. I need social time for motivation.

My artsy stay staycation was really a trial run of my next life goal - work from home.

Can I be productive?

Can I sustain productivity?

I did okay in spite of distractions like becoming overheated (no air conditioning in the new art space) and having a house full of people who should have been in school or at work. (My school district was on strike,) but I need to do better.

What's next?

Watch this space for my red bubble store opening. A couple of very kind people have asked if they could purchase my bunnies or little baldies. Using this online store, you will be able to buy stationary, notebooks, prints and decal like stickers.

I’m looking for inexpensive ways to print my newly finished story. But I will also be making unique, touchable, quiet book style, story books with the illustrations. Each will be a special book of fun and available for purchase.

I’ve written two other kid stories this plans for more. Watch my blog for an online reading. You guys are my beta listeners and your feed back will help me improve the work for possible publication.

A new steampunk project. I'm gathering supplies to make a s "set" of wonderfully geared up, aged, and themed, steampunk goodness. This will include a handmade journal/book, a box for the book, a mask, and a special "charging" and storage unit for the mask.

I'll be involved in a new gratitude project over on instagram too.

So much to do. So little time. I need another staycation!

❤️ I take commissions, love your questions, and want to interact with you. You can comment here or email me: Dapoppins@gmail.com

Be blessed my friends,

Dapoppins

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Everyone Has Natural Gifts

Something happened in my forties.

I settled into my bones.

I stopped trying to be someone else.

I started to lay a hold of who I was meant to be.

I released shame, regret, fear and apathy.

Be Yourself

.

It seems to me that finding and accepting your gifts is a spiritual thing. Some of us might feel like we have different gifts at different times of your lives. Some of us might only have one thing we are really "gifted" with. I don't think it matters.

The value isn't in what your gifts are or when you realize it. It is in what you do with it.

I'm good at a few things.
I'm okay at a few more things..
And I am not really good at even more things.

If I spend my time worrying and focusing on those last two things, what will I accomplish? If I spend time comparing myself with others, envying their success what will I accomplish? If I constantly second guess? If I toss things out unfinished because they are imperfect? If I give up before I start a task because of fear of judgement- what do I have in the end?

I have nothing.

Just nothing.

There are five basic questions that lead me to some life changing answers.

1. What do you love?

What are you passionate about? Make sure that the thing you love is not the thing you love about someone else. This is your particular "love," and it is probably a part of you already.

2. What do you hate?

What makes you frustrated or angry? Hate being the opposite of love can reveal something you feel passionate about. Example: Think small. Think in a daily view, not a world view, because most of us hate injustice, cruelty, etc. One thing I hate, that really gets my goat, is really bad writing and stumpy underwritten children's books that get published and become a whole franchise. Or just get published in the first place. Now I can excuse this opinion as something presumptuous and judgmental or I can recognize it for what it means - I'm passionate about books and the whole publishing industry.

3.What was your favorite pastime as a child?

Active or passive activity? Alone or in a group? Think of that first awkward year of Junior High, that activity you still loved before you entered the halls of peer pressure and painful self awareness. What is that activity that you loved to do before someone told you that you were doing it wrong and would never be good enough?

4. What are you good at?

Or what were you good at but you haven't done it in a long time? Cooking, building things, physical activity,giving advice, encouragement, writing, drawing, entertaining, helping others who need help, fixing things, organizing, sharing, giving, teaching, training, making things,listening, business ideas, self-starting, planning, music, dance, gardening, math, - there are so many different kinds of things you can be good at!

5. What can you teach?

What do you enjoy sharing/teaching others or your children? What life lessons or life skills are the most important to you?

These are the questions the Holy Spirit waked me through. Does that sound weird? Again, if you are not acquainted with Him it might sound odd, but I'm pointing to Him as my guide because I've never read a book, article or attended a seminar on how to find my life's gifts.

In my twenties I was just living. Looking to fill up an empty place inside of me with love and affirmation. Looking in all the wrong places, I might add.

In my thirties I was just getting through each day, making sure my kids made it to bed alive, devoted to them so much that I actively sought to silence dreams, goals and the voice of the Holy Spirit because I thought I had neither had time nor energy to do more than take care of my kids.

In my forties I started to listen.

Often we put our talents, dreams and gifting through a profit strainer. That one that says if we pour into something, cash must come out the other side. And while I don't recommend running away from responsibilities to chase after a dream, I do recommend giving up things like television, media and time eaters to chase after a dream.

Sometimes Christians put all their talents, dreams and giftings through this twin filter of church and Bible. If it doesn't serve God now, in an obvious manner, than it must not have value. There is no truth in that idea. One of the most important ways to serve God is loving Him with your true self.

I believe in the Creator of the Universe. He made platypuses people. He made mosquitoes. He made the giraffe and the cockroach. He made them because it pleased Him to do so. If He makes a platypus, which ninety nine percent of the worlds population will never see in the flesh, because it pleased Him, and then He can and does give beautiful, precious, important gifts to people that may never seemingly serve the church in any obvious way.

Even if you are not a Christian Believer, you must know that you are more than the hunt for food, shelter, and a mate. You are a unique, creative, being with endless potential stored in your genetic make-up.

All Christians have the same mandate: Love God/Love Others. For some that is their Life Calling. But for others, many many others, it is the mandate of our lives, but not our Calling. Love God/Love Others is how we do the job, not the job we do.

Does that make sense? For the Pastor, his job is Love God/Love Others. He literally gets paid to do that job.

For me, my job is with children, with elderly people. I get paid to do that and I do it with the character of Love God/Love Others. My calling, the thing I'm good at is to express and share my creativity with whoever cares to look at it- It's what I love, what I am good at, and what I can teach. The creativity part of my calling has been there since childhood. Whether I will ever earn money at it is still in question, but that I was called to do it is not. I can undervalue it. I can ignore it, but I can not escape it because it spills out everywhere. It is how I am made.

We can spend half a lifetime stifling how we are made.

Or we can embrace it and see where it leads.

That's what I am doing.

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I've been on an art staycation since September 5th, working in my studio, taking lots of naps and chatting on the Youtube. I had massive, big, humongous goals of stuff I wanted to get done. And some if it is actually getting finished.

Just before my big staycation, I moved my art area out of the bedroom, where it had been growing, for the last several years. I'm not a big furniture rearranger, not like people who do it monthly or even seasonally, but it felt like a good way to make the house more livable for the six people in it, at least for my husband who wanted to be sleeping when I wanted to be arting.

A comfy chair was the last important element.

I had the space so tidy, but now that I've been arting in it...well not so tidy anymore.

If you want to hear about some of the stuff I've been up too -all my big plans, please check out my youtube channel. Also, there's a giveaway happening!

I've also recently posted a art journal flip through that is very close to my heart and soul. It's my journey to answering life's important questions, and it's likely the most somber video I've ever made.

Subcribe, like, leave comments - interacting is what helps other people see my work, well, it you think it's all worthy of that. Either way, I'm having a ton of fun and would love to hear from you. Any questions? Thoughts? 2 cents?

Talk soon,

Dapoppins

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Things to consider when choosing your very first art journal:

There are a few questions I try to answer before going
out and picking up a book for my art.
Store bought journals can be expensive.
I just picked up the Jane Davenport large journal for a test drive, and without a coupon,
that book was a budget-busting $36.00. (I
used a 60% off coupon) At that price, this isn't the kind of book you want to
start arting in and then find out you don't
like anything about it. The surface
where I express my heart or just lay down layers of rainbow happiness is super important. If it doesn't "relate" to me, if
it doesn't feel right in my hands and under my paint brush, I'm not going to want to use it. If I feel like I paid too much and then don't like what I paid for, guilt can
creep in and get in the way of all my fun self-expression.

But fear not fellow creativity explorers! Asking yourself a few simple questions while
looking for your perfect book will eliminate the risk of buying the wrong
book.

This is the huge version of this journal and includes burlap and canvas pages.

What size best fits your style and needs?

If you have ever done any journaling before, this might be
an easy question to answer. You might
already own several books with lines of words and emotion. Not only do you have a favorite size you also have a favorite pen! But if journaling is completely new to you, you're going to want to think about where you're going to do your arting. Is your book going
to travel with you? How will you carry
it? What will you carry your supplies in
and how do the book and your supplies fit together? What size feels right in your hands? Does a large surface feel like just too much
space to fill? Is a smaller surface too
small to express what you want to do? If
you aren’t sure, take a risk and just buy something that appeals to you. Go with your gut!

What type and weight of paper do you need?

There are books out there that have paper for sketching,
drawing, mixed media and watercolor
painting. You can even buy a pad of canvas paper for acrylic painting. The books also have different bindings. Whenever
possible, open the book and touch the paper.
How does it feel in your hands?
Does the book lay flat? Check the weight of the paper. It will be somewhere in the description. 60lb, 90lb,
140lb, the weight of the paper is important because of how you're going to use it. Will you just use pens and pencils? Are you going to want to collage on the page? Will you be trying to create texture with
pastes and layers? Will you use a lot of
water or other wet media to spread your color on the page? I like to use watercolor
paper (140lb weight) because it stands up to whatever I throw at it. It takes a lot of wet to make the page curl –
in fact I have never really had that
happen. Mixed Media books are usually
90lb. They can take the watercolors, but
the paper will curl, and sometimes color soaks through to the other side. However, even thin paper can be built up with
some collage, gesso, and matte medium (or
mod podge.)

And old book can become a great altered book or art journal.

How are you planning to use your art journal?

This is really the most important question. Having an idea of how you want to use your book will help
you choose the perfect book. If you are just starting out and developing your style, discovering what just makes the art flow out of you, and just
want to try everything – go for the watercolor 140lb weight. It can take all the creativity you have to offer.

This book has thin pages, but it lays flat, which makes it great for drawing and writing.

I hope this helps. The fact is there are a lot of options for your art journal. You can even make and bind your own, which is probably easier than you think. If you are day dreaming of a space where you can spread happy colors on a page, stop dreaming, grab a coupon, and get a journal! Happy Arting!Dapoppins

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Discovering what I like

Once a person has played and explored the massive landscape of art journaling and all the fun supplies on the market, a list of staples and favorite starts to emerge. I've been playing in paint for a couple of years now, as well as offering free get-togethers where I have to take and travel with supplies that I want to share with others. Experience has helped me develop a list of favorites.

But I still have a problem. I love color. And I love it all. I am addicted using lots of colors in my art journal in a variety of forms. Sprays, acrylics, watercolors, glazes, crayons, etc, after I make a layout my desk area is covered with all the different things I grabbed to make that particular picture.

And since I have two distinct ways of creating, I use different supplies for each style.

My Top 5 Favorite Art Supplies

1.Paper Scraps - I layer and collage with paper scraps and tissue paper.

2. Gel-Medium or Mod Podge : I use different types of Gel-Mediums for my paintings and loads of Matte Mod Podge for my art journal to glue down the papers. Gel-Medium and Mod Podge are basically both a "glue" with different thickness and quality.

3. Gesso: From the cheap gesso I can buy at WalMart, to Prima Marketings thick, smooth white gesso and clear gesso, my "character" paintings in my art journal always, always have a layer or ten of gesso.

4. Stabilo Marks All Pencil - Do you have one yet? I love them and I don't think I quite have discovered all it's capabilities yet.

5. Color: Just add color. I layer acrylic and water based paints to create unique effects. I really need to take a class about the chemistry of doing layers with these truly mixed mediums. Because while I am sure my work will hold up for a few years, I don't think it has archival quality. I'm still in the Art Exploration stage and there is so much I don't know. Throw in some oil based crayons like Gelatos, Distress Crayons, or the slightly more waxy and water colorish Neocolor II crayons and I have no idea what will happen in 50 years, but that doesn't stop me from doing it. I LOVE COLOR.

There is so much about the technical process of art that I don't (yet) know. I know there are people with this need to understand how everything works together before they even pick out a favorite color, but I am not one of them. I intentionally approach art with the abandon of a 3 year old, shelving the adult critic, ignoring the "direction reader," and just enjoying the play experience. Someday I will have the time to take notes and take a class about how everything works together. (I have a couple of classes in mind all ready!) But until that time, I am just learning what I like and what I can do.

I created my Art Journaling Group about a year ago for those interested in doing some Art Exploration. We are all have to begin somewhere. I like to begin with Play. If you want to join me on my journey or if you are local to my Vancouver, Washington area you can join the group too and maybe we could meet in person and make an artsy mess together.

So I Made a Steampunk Mask.

And finally, more masks. Since the original turned out kinda cool, I have two more sons who decided they wanted masks. Only I didn't have a "birthday" deadline. So the masks became one of those projects that I started and then stopped.

Until another son wanted one.

Yes that's me, taking steampunk mask selfies and making them look all mysterious...

And then of course, you know I've been on this book making kick. And I had this idea to create a unique mash-up of genres. How about Steampunk and Jane Austen? What if Jane lived in a Steampunk world? How would that effect her stories. What would her journal look like?

So Steampunk Jane happened.

And yes. There will probablly be more steampunk in my future.

To see more of this book check out the video. It is ridiculously long, I know, but this is a big project and I wanted to share all the details.